Collapsible swimming pool



y 13, 1955 J. J. MASHURA 3,193,847

GOLLAPSIBLE SWIMMING POOL Filed Dec. 51, 1962 INVENTOR JOHN J. MASHURA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,193,847 COLLAPSIBLE SWG POOL John J. Mashura, 315 Westpark Lane, Clifton Heights, Pa. Filed Dec. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 248,324 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) This invention relates to swimming pools and more particularly to a collapsible swimming pool.

It has become increasingly popular to have collapsible backyard swimming pools for individual houses and for individual families. Such collapsible family swimming pools usually consist of a rubber, or plastic, basic water retaining device, which is supported by a cylindrical structure of some rigid material such as steel. This type of collapsible swimming pool is normally placed on top of a sand base in order that the bottom of the pool (which as mentioned earlier is made of plastic or rubber) does not tear, split or become punctured when bathers walk thereon while using the pool. The mounting of such plastic or rubber pools of the cylindrical metal support as well as on top of the base of sand requires a great deal of manual effort and hence the user is not prone to readily set-up and take-down such a device. However, it has been found that if the pool could be readily disassembled to occasionally accommodate some other use of the property, it would be desirable. Further the requisite of the sand base usually causes a certain part of the property, upon which the pool is placed (and after it has been removed), to become a poor piece of soil with regards to growing plants thereon, such as grass, shrubs, etc. It follows that the elimination of the sand base would also be highly desirable. Further if the user of the prior art collapsible pools wanted to keep the pool set up during the entire year, it has been that such pool liners as rubber, vinyl, etc. cannot withstand changing temperatures as from the hot temperatures of summer to the cold temperatures of winter.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved collapsible swimming pool.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a swimming pool which can be readily assembled and disassembled.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a swimming pool which requires relatively little manual elfort to assemble and disassemble it.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a swimming pool whose assembly requirements do not cause the property, upon which it is set up, to be rendered less accommodating to desirable plant growth when the pool is disassembled.

In accordance with features of the present invention a groove (which is the shape of the pool) is cut into a flat slab such as a patio type structure base. A rigid vertical wall structure is then partially inserted into said groove and sealed therein with a suitable water sealing means.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention a plurality of anchoring means are secured to the patio-structure around the outside of the groove and 5. plurality of tie rod structures are secured to the outside of said rigid structure to be fastened to said plurality of anchoring means to provide support for said rigid structure.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention the rigid means can be divided into a plurality of sections which can be easily assembled into a continuous rigid structure to form the pool wall and readily disassembled for easy storage.

The foregoing and other objects and features of this invention will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention 3,193,847 Patented July 13, 1965 "ice taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial schematic of the pool structure.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged schematic cross sectional view showing a sealed wall in a groove;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged top view of joint between two side pieces of the pool.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged top view of a second type joint between two side pieces of the pool.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 1 there can be seen a pool 11 which is situated on a patio type structure 13. The pool 11 is shown being made up of two halves 15 and 17 which are joined together at two joints 19 and 21. The joints 19 and 21 are formed on the outside of the pool wall in FIGURE 1. It should be understood that the pool could be made of many sections or of a single piece. It has been found that a pool made of four sections can be easily assembled since the sections are not large and can be easily stored which is a very important and desirable advantage. The joints 19 and 21 are of the type shown in FIGURE 3 (which will be discussed hereinafter), but it should be understood that many other forms of sealing joints could be used such as that shown in FIGURE 4.

Inside of the pool 11, in FIGURE 1, the base is depicted as the patio structure 13. It should be understood that other types of bases could be used such as a cement slab or fiber glass, etc. The wall halves 15 and 17 are inserted or fitted into a groove 23 which is cut into the patio structure 13. The groove can be better appreciated in FIGURE 2 which will be discussed below. The wall halves 15 and 17 are placed in the groove 23 with a water sealing means 25 (only a portion of which is shown in FIGURE 1) of some suitable type in order to retain the water Within the pool. Many water sealing workable compounds are known, examples of which are rubber, oakum and the like. At the locations where the side pieces, such as wall halves 15 and 17, are joined the lips of the side pieces are not cut completely to the bottom in order to leave a sufficiently large edge to be inserted in the groove. This will be better understood when FIG- URE 2 is considered.

Around the outside of the groove 23 there is located a plurality of anchor lugs 27. Fastened to the outside of the wall halves 15 and 17 is a plurality of rods 31 which can be angularly'bolted to the wall, or in the alternative some swivel type rod can be secured to the wall. Fastened to the wall halves 15 and 17 are rods 31, while rods 33 are fastened to the anchor lugs 27. The rods 31 and 33 are paired together for each support position around the pool and are tightened, or drawn together, by associated turnbuckles 35. In the center of the pool 11 there is shown a drain 57 which can be installed beneath the patio or cement slab to facilitate draining the pool. In the alternative the pool can be filled and/or emptied with a hose means.

In view of the above description it can be readily appreciated that the pool 11 can be easily assembled by the steps of (1) setting up the wall halves 15 and 17 in the groove 23; (2) forming or locking the joints 19 and 21; (3) inserting the seal 25 into the groove 23 against the wall halves 15 and 17 inside the pool; (4) inserting the wedge 37 (FIGURE 2); and fastening the rods 31 and 33 by the turnbuckles 35. The ledge piece 40 can then be slipped over the upper edge of the pool 11 to complete the assembly.

Referring to FIGURE 2 a section of the wall half 15 is shown in the groove 23. It can be seen from FIGURE 2 that the seal 25 is inserted on the water side of the groove 23 and forced to form a tight seal by the insertion of the wedge 37. The wedge 37 is placed around the entire groove 23 as is the'seal 25. In another mode wherein the joint shown in FIGURE 4 is employed oakum is inserted into both sides of the groove 23.

' Further inFIGURE 2 there is shown a section of the a joint lip 39 and the joint'seal 41. It will be noted in 7 FIGURE 2 that the lip 39 is not formed completely to the bottom edge of wall half 15. In other words the lower edge 43 of wall 15 is not formed'into a joint lip in order that it might be inserted into groove23, It should be further noted in FIGURE 2 that the seal 25 overlaps the joint seal 41 so that even though the joinder of the two wall halves 15 and 17 is not sealed completely same time forces the cross-bar section of the seal 41' against the right angles of the jointlips 39 and 45, to

provide a further seal for the joint. Many other means for water sealing the point where two 'wall sections' are joined can be employed for instance consider FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 4 shows an overlap joint 51 located in groove 23. Thetwo pool halves 15 and 17! are bolted together by bolts 53 only one of which is depicted in FIGURE 4.

. 4. wall member against said sealant to further aid in making said pool water tight.

2. A swimming pool comprising:

(a) a base member having an endless groove therein, said groove having first and second sides and being formed to provide the shape of said swimming pool;

(b) a plurality of removable wall sections which are I fitted together to form a wall for said pool, said wall sections fitted into said groove; I

.(c) a plurality of anchor members disposed in said base member but lying outsid e' theperimeter of said groove;

(d) a plurality of supportmembers connected between said wall sections and associated anchor member to hold said wall sections rigid thereby providing; a side wall for said swimming pool;

(e) sealant means disposedin said groove between said first' side thereof and said wall sections located (f) wedge means inserted in said groove between said second side thereof and saidwallsections'inserted therein to aid inmaking said pool water tight.

3. A swimming pool according to claim 2'wherein' each of said'wall sections isjoined to its adjacent Wall section by overlapping the ends thereof and locating bolts through said overlapped portions to secure'the wall sections together.

I 4. A swimming pool according to claim 2 wherein there I is further includeda plurality ofsleevemembers and While I have described above the'principles of my ini vention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to 'be clearly understood that this description is'made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of a .my invention as set forth in the; objects thereof and in V the accompanying claims. 7

What is claimed. is:

'1. A swimming pool comprising:

(a) a base member having an endless groove therein,

said groove'having sides and being formed to provide the shape of said swimming pool;

(b) a removable wall member fitting into said groove;

(c) sealant means disposed in said groove between the sides thereof and said removable wall member to render the groove watertight; j a p a (d) a plurality of anchor members disposed in said base member and around the outside of the perimeter of said groove; 7

wherein eachof said wall sections is formed to provide a protruding portion at each end thereof which protruding portions are disposed at approximately right angles to said wall sections, each of said wall sections being joined to its adjacent wall section by locking one of said sleeve members over a pair of said protruding portions'which respectively belong to adjacent'wall sections.

(e) a plurality of support members connected between I (t) wedge means inserted in said groove to'forcesaid' 5. A swimming pool according to claim 2 wherein there is further included a draining means located ;in said base member and opening into the inside of saidpool.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 817,314 4/0 -Hahn.

1,427,16 8/22 Parton.

1,786,613 12/30 Hooper 4-177 1,963,405 6/34 'Ei'chelman et al. r 2,363,429 11/44 Lowry 50-203 Farrell 220 5 3,020,560 2/62 Bedickf FOREIGN PATENTS 9/58 Great Britain. I

LEWIS I. LENNY, Primary Examiner. EDWARD V. BENHAM, Examiner. 

1. A SWIMMING POOL COMPRISING: (A) A BASE MEMBER HAVING AN ENDLESS GROOVE THEREIN, SAID GROOVE HAVING SIDES AND BEING FORMED TO PROVIDE THE SHAPE OF SAID SWIMMING POOL; (B) A REMOVABLE WALL MEMBER FITTING INTO SAID GROOVE; (C) SEALANT MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID GROOVE BETWEEN THE SIDES THEREOF AND SAID REMOVABLE WALL MEMBER TO RENDER THE GROOVE WATER TIGHT; (D) A PLURALITY OF ANCHOR MEMBERS DISPOSED IN SAID BASE MEMBER AND AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE PERIMETER OF SAID GROOVE; (E) A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT MEMBERS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID WALL MEMBER AND ASSOCIATED ANCHOR MEMBERS TO HOLD SAID WALL MEMBER RIGID THEREBY PROVIDING A WALL FOR SAID SWIMMING POOL; (F) WEDGE MEANS INSERTED IN SAID GROOVE TO FORCE SAID WALL MEMBER AGAINST SAID SEALANT TO FURTHER AID IN MAKING SAID POOL WATER TIGHT. 